Power Cables and Wall Sockets

Sadly a $5K power cord can make an astonishing improvement. A couple of direct lines can make a real improvement. As someone mentioned… it is additive. Each step need justify its cost in sound quality improvement.

I think most people start by upgrading power cords first. Even if you have previous experience with power cords, I think there is a natural desire to reinforce / rediscover why they are worth it. Once you realize / remember how big a difference they make… it is easier to do something that cannot be returned and stays with the house. I recently got equipment that used 20 amp plugs on the component side… so I had to buy all new ones… oh, Yeah, they can make a big difference. I am still experimenting with my amp power cord.

Direct lines make a big difference… standard gauge or better. Two lines are preferred… a 10 gauge (or go wild) for the amp, the other for the rest of the components. By the way even with a direct line… my system sounds better with my power conditioner than without.

This comes up a lot, and I wrote about it in two posts:

Does it make any sense to use a small spade or ring terminal crimped to the romex when we install our new audiophile outlets? I can't think of anywhere else we would use a bare wire connection or un-terminated except inside of a piece of gear or a speaker crossover and those are soldered. 

Does it make any sense to use a small spade or ring terminal crimped to the romex when we install our new audiophile outlets?

Absolutely not. You are much more likely to mess that up than you are to use the bare wire as God intended.

I do however feel using the rear entry (not backstabbed) slots with the clamp plates is the most secure method. 

I finally installed a dedicated line to my listening room. I used quality solid core 11ga wire from a new sub-panel to make the main run short as possible, installed a quality outlet and have very good power cord. The change was like a new component and improved everything across the board especially the big class A SS amp I have. Everything took a while to break-in but this was a worthwhile improvement. I only wished I had done it sooner.